Monday, May 27, 2013

Private Delights

Chapter 11

Desperately in need of a few quiet minutes to put herself
together, Joanne perched on the ugly orange chair that had missed the first
furniture purge and wiped the tears from her lashes.

What had she done? Her submission in the bar had pleased him
and he’d been clear in his praise. The conversation in the car had been
pleasant and friendly. Hell, Derek was almost flirty. Then, with no warning,
he’d become cold and distant. She riffled through the interlude to find a
reason for the change but couldn’t.

Finally giving up the search, she repaired her face as best
she could and went to find Mark. Wrong move, all the way.

“What happened?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just walked
right up close and touched her cheek.

“It’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding.” The idea of
discussing one boss with another was anathema, guaranteed to make her job
disappear in a heartbeat. She’d never been there, but had seen it happen too
many times to count.

But Master Mark was a pit bull.

He didn’t back away, and he didn’t take her answer at face
value.

“What did he do?”

“Nothing. I misunderstood, that’s all. It’s fine.” She
turned to the long table in his office with an eye to tidying the stacks of
paper but he caught her arm with a warm palm around her wrist.

Oh, hell. What had she gotten involved in this time? And how
could he know what happened at lunch, unless Derek had already told him. She
turned accusing eyes at him, but he shook his head, sympathy pooling in those
dark brown depths.

“I haven’t seen or heard from Derek, but I can guess what
happened. He was flirting, teasing and friendly, dominating you to the edge of
sensuality, and suddenly went cold. Am I close?”

Her free hand floated behind her hip to find the chair she
knew was close by and when Mark let go of her arm, she sank into it.

“How did you know?” she asked, her words a thin whisper.

Mark perched on the chair across from her, his elbows braced
on his knees and his hands hanging between his calves. “It’s not the first
time, but it’s been a while.”

“Whether or not you get involved with Derek, your job is
secure. We have high expectations for job performance in the mainstream
fashion—theft, violence, and the like aren’t tolerated. Having a mutually
satisfying relationship with someone you meet here will not be reflected on
your yearly evaluation. Understand?”

A deep exhale lightened her heart. “Yes, Master Mark. Thank
you.”

He nodded. “Good. Now, we still have a shitload of things to
take care of before we open in two weeks.”

“Umm, can I ask a question?”

“Of course. Shoot.”

“Are you planning to upgrade the restrooms? I was in the
ladies downstairs and it’s clean but on the far side of ugly.”

“How ugly?” His brow furrowed as he picked up a yellow notepad
and a pen. “Show me. I never gave a thought to the public restrooms, since all
the private rooms have a full bath. Damn.”

They started on the second floor and once inside the ladies
room, Mark agreed to refurbish. “Even to my eye, it’s bad. You know what women
expect in a high—end salon. Talk to Derek and have him set you up with his
general contractor today. We need new tile, mirrors, chairs.”

He made a few notes and said, “You’re in charge of the
bathrooms. Get a bid from the contractor for all of them and run it by me,
since I keep the money. Let’s take a look at the men’s before we get carried
away.”

Half an hour later, Joanne found herself back in the bar,
sitting on a barstool while Derek finished his last interview. He’d
acknowledged her with a nod when she arrived, polite and polished as always.
When the applicant left, Derek rose and walked to the long bar and stood next
to her.

“I owe you an apology, Joanne.”

She ducked her head. “I talked to Master Mark.”

Humor licked at his words when he said, “Turn me in with the
boss?”

“No. He asked...he noticed that I was upset and before I
could explain, he told me what had happened.”

“Great.”

His tone belied his comment, dark with a hint of pain, and
her heart squeezed. “He helped me understand that it wasn’t my fault.” Dammit.
Not the right words at all.

“It was never my intention to blame you.”

“I know. Can we change the subject? Master Mark asked me to
take care of the refurbishing of the public restrooms and he told me to ask you
for an introduction to the main contractor so I can get a bid.”

Derek tipped his head back and laughed. “Perfect,
sweetheart. I’m the managing contractor. Show me what you want to get done.”